The Journal of the Pacific Coast Numismatic Society: No. 1

THE JOURNAL

OF THE

PACIFIC COAST NUMISMATIC SOCIETY

Issue Number One October 1984

CONTENTS

Coming PCNS Events . 2

Message from the President . 3

The Irish Coined the ^*Cob” by Dr. C. W. Aby. ... 4

Notes from the Editor . ^

China *s Gold Coinage by Eduard Kann . 8

Book Review . 13

The Usage of Communion Tokens by W. de Vroom. . . 15
Guidelines for the Submission of Papers . 18

CALENDAR OF PX.N.S. COMING EVENTS

October 24, 1984, Wednesday.

DEADLINE FOR THE PAPERS CONTEST.

SEND YOUR ENTRIES TO!

0. L. Wallis, Papers Chairman
58 Tan Oak Circle
San Rafael, CA 94903.

or: P.C.N.S.

610 Arlington Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94707.

October 28, 1984, 2:00pm, Sunday.

P.C.N.S. MONTHLY MEETING.

THIS WILL BE A POTLUCK LUNCHEON ON A
SUNDAY AFTERNOON. IF YOU CAN ATTEND,
PLAN TO TAKE PART IN THE FUN. IT WILL
BE HELD AT OUR REGULAR MEETING SITE:

1145 Larkin (at Bush)

IN San Francisco.

November 28, 1984, Wednesday at 8:00pm.

P.C.N.S. MONTHLY MEETING.

EXONUMIA NIGHT. BRING YOUR NON-COIN
NUMISMATIC ITEMS TO DISCUSS AND SHOW.

December 26, 1984, Wednesday at 8:00pm.

P.C.N.S. MONTHLY MEETING.

ANNUAL GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING AND
HOLIDAY PARTY. ELECTION OF OFFICERS,
PRESENTATIONS OF AWARDS, AND DON*T
FORGET TO BRING YOUR HOLIDAY TREATS TO
SHARE WITH OTHER MEMBERS.

MESSAGE FROW THE PRESIDENT

by Osmyn Stout
President of P.C.N.S.

Launching a new publication can be both frightening and
exhilirating. Frightening because there is always the fear that
something wrong will get into print and inadvertantly someone is
slighted. Exhilirating because here is an opportunity to publish
something which has needed to be made public for a long time.

Upon assuming the presidency in January 1984, it was my pleasure
to appoint an Editorial Committee to assist Larry Reppeteau,
Interim Editor of our monthly PCNS Bulletin. He had hurriedly
taken on the job in August 1982, during the illness of Maxine
Bryce, our long-time Editor. He had generously stayed on longer
than he wanted to considering his many other responsibilities.

The Editorial Committee consisted of Paul Holtz man, Brian Kestner
and David Lange. In March, David Lange offered to take on the
Editorship. He developed a new format. Stephen Huston was
appointed to the Editorial Committee.

In August, the Commitee made a report to the Board of Governors
recommending the establishment of a quarterly journal in addition
to the monthly Bulletin. Stephen Huston agreed to be editor.
During this process, the Editorial Committee became the
Publications Committee to oversee both publications. This was
all approved by the Board of Governors and membership present at
the August PCNS meeting.

liJe are all proud of these efforts and willingness to bring forth
something new and exciting. In behalf of the membership I want
to express thanks and gratitude to all those who have so
generously given of themselves to make this a reality.

A superficial research of PCNS files reveals a similar monthly
publication in the 1 950s. For the first time we will have a
scholarly journal to publish the results of research and writings
of our members submitted in the annual papers contest. li)e hope
to expand it into other areas as welL

I am partiularly proud to have had a small part in these
proceedings and to be president of this eminent numismatic
society. The membership is composed of unusual and exceptional
people who want to be something more than just collectors or
investors.

Continued support by further research in the vast field of
numismatics and submitting writings in the papers contest will
produce something of which we can all be even more proud in the
future.

3

THE IRISH COINED THE "COB"

by Or. Charles li). Aby

Would you believ/e it, "cot/* is not derived from '*cabo de bara" -
the tip or end of a bar?

When I first head about "cobs" they sounded interesting and
seemed to be luell named. Somewhere in the back of my mind "cob"
seemed to mean "lump." I associated the word with something I
had either read or heard as a child. Cob coal? A nondescript
horse? It never occurred to me to wonder about the derivation of
the word.

As I progressed in the collection of Mexican coins, I read Dr.
Pradeau's Nu mismatic History of Wexico and found, in a footnote
on his page A2, that he attributed the word "cob" to a
contraction of the Spanish phrase "cabo de barra" meaning the end
or tip of the bar.

8-Real Cob of 1614 from Seville

As time went on, I found that *'cob" was a term used exclusively
in English. In Spanish, these coins always were alluded to as
**macuc|uinas."

It seemed incongruous, to me, that a term should be coined by
Spanish- speaking people and used only in English.

The literature and pictures of minting which I came across always
showed the coining operation as being struck on pieces cut from a
hammered sheet, while Dr. Pradeau’s footnote refers to an
invention which consisted of a way of making round or nearly
round silver bars which could be cut with scissors into planchets

or blanks of approximately the desired weight and thickness to be
struck into coins.

4

After Philip II (the late 1500s), very feu/ of the coins from
Mexico are circular in shape (until the 1730s), and many, if not
most, of those from the other mints in the Neu/ liJorld are of
fantastic shapes. Thus it u/ould appear that the round bar method
did not prevail.

The only ingots of silver and gold u/hich I have seen pictured
from that era are bou/l shaped. Certainly it u/as possible that
elongated bars could have been cast and pieces cut from the ends
of such ingots, but the pieces (even after being struck) u/ould
necessarily show some evidence of having been cast. None of the
pieces I have ou/ned or seen showed any evidence of having been
cast, (I am talking now about genuine reales de a ocho, not
about modern cast counterfeits.)

Spanish l-Real Cob of 1733 from Potosi

It occurred to me that it would be highly improbable that the
ordinary English-speaking person, being poorly educated in his
own English language, and not knowing anything about coin
manufacturing, would reach for a Spanish word which he could not
reasonably have known to exist. It would be much more likely
that he might have given these coins a cognomen because of their
appearance.

So, off to the dictionary!

Uebsters had a short definition: 1, a coarse lump.

2, a substandard horse.

The American Heritage Dictionary: a coarse lump.

I then began to express my opinion that perhaps "cabo de barra”
was in error.

A short discussion with Dr. Pradeau brought the reply that it was
the considered opinion of the best sources available to him at
the time that *babo de barra” was the probable origin of ”cob.”

I was then referred to the New Oxford English Dictionary by an
erudite friend. There I found the following:

Cob, sb-1. II. Containing the notion "rounded,” ”a roundish
mass,” or "roundish lump.”

6, A small heap of lump of something (5. Cheshire Folk-sp)»
"a cob of dirt.”

5

7. Applied to various roundish or lumpy pieces, as a ”cob
of coal.”

Cob, sp-5 (Perhaps identical with COB sp-1, sense I, as the
biggest silver coin.) A name given in the 17th and 18th
centuries in Ireland, and subsequently in some British
colonies and possessions, to the Spanish dollar or piece-of-
eight.

The following examples of early usage then follow:

1 672 AD - PETTY, ”Pol. Anat.” 350 - "Spanish pieces of eight,
called cobs in Ireland."

1681 AD - DINELEY, "trans. Kilkenny Archeological Society,
SerJI" - "The most unusual money is Spanish coyne knowne here by
the name of a cob, an half cob, and a quarter cob."

1784 AD - T. SHERIDAN, "Life Swift" - "He . . . poured out the
contents, which were silver cobs, upon the table."

1822 AD - KELLY, "Cambist" - "The Spanish dollar circulating
in Gibraltar is commonly called a cob."

1865 AD - THOREAU, *tape Cocf* - "Pieces of silver called cob-
money."

1 868 AD - LOSSING, *Vludson" - "The old silver coins occasional¬
ly found at Fort Edward are called ’cob-money^ by the people."

The New Century Dictionary; Cob. (Origin obscure) a roundish
mass, lump, or heap (now, chiefly provincial English). . . the
old Spanish dollar or peso, a name formerly in use in Ireland and
still at Gibraltar.

All this, then, brings me to the conclusion that "cot/* derives
from a respectable English word which means what it is supposed
to mean. . . an unsightly lump, dear to the heart of a collectorl

<(»

Redwood Empire Coin Club

P.O. Box 9013 Santa Rosa, Ca. 95405
Invites You To

SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL COINARAMA

6

Stamp Show

Sunday November 18, 1984 - 10:00 to 5:00 p.m.

SANTA ROSA VETERANS MEMORIAL BUILDING

1351 Maple Avenue
Santa Rosa, California

Exnibits - Dealers - Prizes

ADMISSION FREE

A BEGINNING: Notes from the Editor

by Stephen Huston

This first issue of The J ou rn al is of great significance for
in that ue will finally pass along to all members the
fruits of years of numismatic writings, those articles once filed
and nearly forgotten after each year's "papers contest."

P.CJ\I.S. has sponsored an annual numismatic writing contest for
decades, but no ongoing publication plan ever offered the members
an opportunity to read the papers. I begin the job of editor
with a pile of recent year's entries numbering in the hundreds of
pages. This issue of The Journal contains a small selection of
items from that backlog.

liJe want The Jour na 1 to serve current writers with a ready
publication to print their numismatic writings, while filling in
each issue with additional publication of older papers. We want
authors to submit articles now for publication, with the
expectation of seeing their work in print in a matter of weeksi

Authors are urged to read "Guidelines for the Submission of
Papers^ printed elsewhere in this issue. While not hard and fast
rules for articles in The Journal, they will ease my job.

Past competitors in the Papers Contest will be hearing from me in
the next few weeks about readying their articles for publication,
but we don't want people to wait with new articles. Please send
them so we will be able to select and maintain a balance of areas
covered by the articles in each issue.

P.C.IM.S. is the oldest numismatic organization west of the
nississippi, and its members have included many well-known
numismatic authors and serious numismatists. The Journal will
offer all members a forum to exchange information and ideas, even
if not all members can attend the monthly Society meetings held
in San Francisco. The Journal once again removes P.CJ\I.S. from
the ranks of purely local coin clubs, and improves its services
to the numismatists it has attracted since 1915.

As Editor of The J ou rnal, the work I do is dependent on the
writers, whether professional or amateur, who are part of
PJ:J\I.S. I will also need to hear from members about what they
like or need to read in The J ou rn al , always with an eye for
making it of greater use to the membership. This first issue was
readied for publication in about one- third the normal publication
period, but we trust it will offer you some new numismatic
information and give you ideas about its future. Please pass
along your ideas to the Editor and officers of the Society.

Now, on to the beginning. . . .

7

CHINA* S GOLD COINAGE

by Eduard Kann

Only hazy concepts exist amongst occidental numismatists as to
the extent of China*s coinage of gold and its authenticity.
After having spent A8 years in the Far East, all of which was
passed in the sphere of Chinese currency and finance, I feel
qualified to present a reliable summary of this particular topic.
The purpose of this undertaking is the separation of fact from
fancies.

China for centuries was the country par excellence adhering to
silver as a currency metal, at least for larger transactions. The
Chinese nation was the last to abandon the white metal by force
of circumstances over which she had no control. On November 3,
1935 she adopted a gold exchange standard system. This meant
that the authorities undertook to issue drafts on foreign
countries at fixed rates of exchange for unlimited amounts
against Chinese currency. The scheme required inter alia that
all Chinese silver coins and bullion were to be handed in to
government banks in exchange for bank notes at par. No full-
value silver coinage was to be issued thereafter. Subsidiary
coinage were to be made from nickel or copper.

Although China was then on a foreign exchange currency standard,
it was not the classic gold standard that she had embraced. The
new project did not aim at, nor did it contemplate the striking
or circulation of gold coins. In fact, the currency reform of
1935 worked wonderfully well without metallic gold, and would
have continued in this direction had it not been for the sudden
and unexpected appearance of Armageddon in the form of the
Japanese aggression in July, 1 937. War invariably means
depreciation of currencies, and China was no exception to the
rule.

RELEVANT FACTS

China produces little gold. The average output of gold in China
proper, combined with the outlying provinces of Manchuria and the
dependencies of Mongolia and Tibet, was about 100,000 ounces in
good years. Most of the not inconsiderable quantity of gold
which has been in circulation and hoarded within China for the
past century, was imported by way of arbitrage. It was held or
hidden in the form of either 1 ounce or 10 ounce bars, or in the
form of foreign coins.

8

It is not surprising that as a natural result of the
indescribable sufferings to which China was subjected, due mainly
to poor government, she was striving for reform. However, she
usually lacked the means, energy, or experience for decisive
moves in the right direction. Amongst the many reform plans
presented, the abandonment of silver - the poor man’s currency -
in favor of a gold standard often came to the fore, but was never
realized. It would be impossible to offer even a simmary of all
such official attempts within the narrow frame of this narrative.
Those sufficiently interested will find exhaustive particulars
and faithful records in my book The Cu rr encies of Ch in a , 2nd
Edition, Shanghai, 1927, chapter XV. (Ed. note: Kann’s book was
reprinted in 1978, and is still available.)

CHINESE GOLD COINS INTENDED FOR CIRCULATION

Let us omit here reference to prehistoric time when un minted gold
in the form of cubes used to circulate in China. Let us forget
the attempt to use stamped leaf gold in eastern Honan toward the
close of the Chou dynasty, say about B£. 280. And let us ignore
the assertion that the Taipings, AD. 1850-1864, did circulate
gold coins with a square hole at its center, since available
evidence is still somewhat nebulous.

On the other hand, gold coins were issued and did circulate in
the southern portion of Sinkiang (Chinese Turkestan) under the
rebel, Yakub Beg, who had conquered Kashgaria in 1865, and
succeeded in holding it until 1877. Then and there gold coins
were struck in the form of a one tilla denomination. These were
inscribed on both sides in Turki, and dated in Persian figures,
1291, 1292, 1293 and 1295, coresponding to 1873 to 1877. They
average 23mm in diameter, are ^m thick, and weigh 58 grains. The
legend on the obverses state that the coins were struck in
Kashgar, while the reverse legend affirms allegiance to the
Sultan of Turkey.

When Sinkiang was reconquered by China in 1877, these gold coins
became obsolete. Under Chinese administration, but definitely at
the initiative of Sinkiang officials, two gold coins appeared
there in denominations of one and two mace. They are undated,
but 1907 seems to have been the date of their issue. These are
almost exact replicas of the existing silver coins of analogous
weights, and are distinguished by the change of a single Chinese
character in the inscription from silver to gold. Ostensibly
these innovations were meant to oust from circulation in
Turkestan the gold coins of Russia and Britain, a subterfuge
which seems somewhat naive.

Another Sinkiang gold coin is a replica of the two mace Sungarei
silver piece, of the same period. Here also the Chinese
character for gold has taken the place of that for silver.

9

Whether or not the one mace Sungarei coin exists in gold is not
known. (Ed. note: This coin has since been confirmed and is
catalogued in the Krause world catalogue under Sinkiang.)

Let us now return to China proper. A ten dollar gold coin was
prepared and minted in Tietsin in 1916 in connection with the
ill-fated attempt on the part of President Yuan Shih-kai to
become emperor under the dynastic title Hung Hsien. The obverse
depicts a bust of Yuan in profile, while the reverse displays a
winged dragon sailing through the air. Since the scheme
miscarried, the coin did not enter circulation.

During the first world war, 1916-1919, silver became very scarce
and was not imported into China in quantity. Yunnan province,
then a heavy exporter of tin, badly needed precious metals for
coinage, and since silver was unobtainable, the Governor, Tang
Chi-yao, ordered the coinage of five and ten dollar gold pieces,
showing his own portrait on the obverse. The reverse depicted
two crossed flags. In 1919, 900,000 pieces of the ten dollar

denomination were minted and a somewhat similar number of the
five dollar denomination. These were actually in circulation for
a year or so, when the silver fell in price and the gold coins in
circulation were promptly melted down and disappeared from
circulation.

Shortly before that event, (which signified genuine circulation,
not to say ”an honest attempt,” for the authorities made 20^
coinage profit from the outset) a set of two gold coins were
issued in Yunnan for the payment of the troops. The obverse
states the denominations in Chinese, ten dollars and five
dollars, respectively, in five characters flanked by two
rosettes. The reverses are blank. Neither the year of minting
nor the place of origin appear. Mystery surrounds the raiscxi
d’etre of these two gold coins, minted supposedly about 1917.
Numismatists view these coins with some suspicion.

Yunnan supplied the numismatic world another mystery in the shape
of two further gold coins of ten and five dollars, assertedly
issued in 1925. At that time a Yunnan expeditionary force had
been sent into the neighboring province of Kwangsi by Governor
Yang Chi-yao. There the commanding general. Fan Shih-sen, had
coins minted in gold for the payment of his troops. The obverse
displays the character "tien,” the literary name and mint -mark
for Yunnan, surrounded by an open wreath of grain. The reverses
show four Chinese characters denoting, respectively, ten or five
dollars.

In 1919, the Tientsin mint produced two gold coins, dated the 8th
year of the republic, of the twenty and ten dollar denominations.
Both show on the obverses the effigy of Yuan Shih-kai, who had
been dead since 1916, while the reverses depict the date and the
denominations in Chinese characters. These coins were prepared

10

for a seriously projected scheme to introduce a gold standard
coinage for China. But, as the project could not be realized, no
funds to finance it being available, they never entered
circulation, notwithstanding the good intentions.

In 1926, Shantung province had two gold coins minted, most likely
in the Tientsin mint. The obverses show the date and
denominations, twenty or ten dollars, while the reverses have the
emblem of the phoenix and dragon. Nothing is known about the
purpose of the issue, which in fact, never entered circulation.
Excellent forgeries of these two coins are in existence.

It should be mentioned here that whenever the term "dollars" has
been used in connection with Chinese gold coins, silver dollars
is meant.

The foregoing comprises the legitimate attempts to produce and
circulate Chinese gold coins, plans which usually remained only
unfulfilled hopes. Before closing this section, mention should
be made of the existence of the following models in copper,
intended for gold pieces. However, the writer never saw the
coins in the yellow metal, merely as copper essays, viz:

(a) 1949, twenty dollars, gold coin of Nationalist China,
showing on the obverse a five petaled flower, and two characters
indicating gold coin, and 38th year of the Chinese Republic. The
reverse displays three characters standing for the denomination,
twenty dollars, surrounded by an open wreath of grain.

(b) Copper proofs of Chang Tso-lin gold coins in
denominations of forty and twenty dollars, after the model of the
silver one dollar essay coins of the sixteenth year, 1927,
showing the effigy of Chan Tso-lin. Neither the writer nor his
collecting friends have seen these pieces in gold. The forty
dollar coins is 23mm in diameter and l^mm thick; the twenty
dollar piece measures 21mm and is 1mm thick.

CHINESE GOLD COINS NOT FOR CIRCULATION

Apart from the foregoing semi-legitimate Chinese gold coins,
there exists a series of other creations in the yellow metal.
These are entitled to a good deal of consideration, for they are
produced officially in official Chinese mints. However, they
were obviously not intended for circulation, but were struck for
presentation pieces or souvenirs. Additional logic is lent to
this view when one considers that the dies from which they were
made are inscribed "one dollar" or "twenty cents," and were
intended for minting silver pieces although they appear in gold.

It will suffice for our purpose if a tabulation of such coins is
made here. The catalog numbers are from Kalgan Shih’s catalogge.

(Table on next page.)

11

YEAR DENOniNATION CATALOG NO.

1903 1 Szechuan rupee . A17-18

1903 i Szechuan rupee . A17-22

1903 i Szechuan rupee . A17-23

1906 1 Kuping tael . A3-1

1907 1 Kuping tael . A3-2

1912 $1 Sun Yat-sen . E2-20

1912 $1 Sun Yat-sen . E2-1

1912 $1 Li Yuan-hung . E2-19

1912 $1 Li Yuan-hung . E2-4

1912 20-cent Li Yuan-hung . A12-1

1914 $1 Yuan Shih-kai . D1-1

1914 $1 Yuan Shih-kai . 01-3

1914 $1 Yuan Shih-kai . 01 -5

1916 $1 Yuan Shih-kai . E2-9

1917 20 srangs, Tibet . A10-2

1918 20 srangs, Tibet . A10-1

1921 $1 Hsu Shih-chang . E2-13

1922 $1 Hunan . E3-2

1923 $1 Tsao Kung . E2-15

1923 $1 Tsao Kung . E2-16

1925 $1 Tuan Chi-jui . E2-17

Apart from the coins enumerated in the table above, there exists
a moderate number of medallions in gold, struck in official
Chinese mints.

<()>

(Ed. notes The above article was written by Eduard Kann in 1951
and published by PCNS for its members at that time. This reprint
is offered for the information of a new generation of readers.
Additional short articles by Eduard Kann on Chinese gold coinage,
•fritten in the early 1950s, will appear in future issues of the
THE JOURNAL.)

12

REVIElilING THE BRITISH OVERVIEW

A Book Review by The Editor

There is one book which collectors of British coins use the world
over - Seaby’s Coins of England and the United Kingdom. The 2Qth
Edition (August 1984) of this overview of British coinage has
just been released and is making its appearance in the U.SJ\.

Coins of England is the *T?edbook" of British coinage, covering
issues”Trom the time of the Celts through the Roman occupation,
the Anglo-Saxon and "dark age" coinages, medieval hammered
coinage to machine-struck issues including the 1984 Proof Sets.

For the beginning collector of British, sections on grading,
denominations, mints and minting, and a basic glossary of terms
are included. The British are more conservative than U.S.
(continued on page 14)

ROBERT R. JOHNSON, Inc.

THE BAY area's LARGEST SELECTION

OF

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FROM AROUND THE WORLD

353 Geary Street San Francisco, CA

(415) 421-9701

BOOK REVIEW

continued from page 13.

collectors when it comes to grading. The denominations take some
getting acquainted for the newcomer to British money, and dozens
of mints operated in England in medieval times. None of this is
overlooked by this volume, so it is a thorough introduction.

Coins are cataloged by varieties from the different mints for
each issue for the medieval and modern sections. Prices in
English pounds are given in at least two grades for each issue.
The grades priced range from Fine to FDC depending on the
availability of the issue in commonly collectible grades.

High-quality black and white photos of each major coin type and
major varieties are provided in place within the catalogue. Lists
of mintmarks and privy marks (which aid in dating many issues)
begin each new section to aid even the novice in properly
identifying any British coin.

This guidebook serves the British collector as Yeoman^s ”Redbook”
serves the collector of U.S. coins. It is a basic but necessary
book for the beginner and the specialist. The 20th Edition was
finished in August 1984, and the catalogue is published about
every two years, so the new edition will be current through 1985.
The new edition was edited by P. Frank Purvey, one of the most
respected of the Seaby staff. This book marks Purvey^s last work
as Seaby staff; he resigned while this work was at the printer.

There are other catalogues and price guides for British coins,
but none has the history of acceptance inside and outside of
Great Britain to equal that of Seaby^s of London. The 20th
Edition (red cover) is $17.50, but no less expensive book offers
this much information on 20 centuries of British coins.

Coins of England and the United K in gd o m is available as of
October 1984. If you haven't collected British coins, you have
missed one of the finest numismatic traditions in the world.

14

THE USAGE OF COWPiUNION TOKENS

by 111, de Vroom

The use of communion tokens by churches of various denominations
in many parts of the uiorld has been widespread, in particular by
the Scotch Presbyterian Church. Nowadays church members are
reminded by card of the coming date of the communion service in
their church, but, until about 1900, metal tokens of a variety of
metals were issued.

The main reason for the issue of tokens was to insure that no
"unworthy” person was admitted to communion. The purpose of this
article is to describe the conditions under which the tokens were
handed out and used.

The Reformed Church in France instigated the use of tokens as
early as 1560, on the suggestion of John Calvin, and, in 1586,
Amsterdam in Holland followed suit. In the first years after the
Reformation, cards were used as well as metal tokens. The use of
cards largely died out; from 1650 to 1900, metal tokens were
commonly issued.

The tokens themselves come in many different shapes ranging from
round to square. A typical token would bear the legend "THIS DO
IN REncnBRANCE OF HE" (I CorJ<I.24) and also, in most cases, "BUT
LET A FIAN EXAMINE HIMSELF." On a large number of tokens is also
mention of the name of the church, together with the name or
initials of the minister. Sometimes a number denotes the table
at which the communicant is supposed to sit.

Communion Token for Troqueer Church, 1875

It is not always possible to recognize a token for what it really
is. I have in my collection a one-inch square piece of lead with
only the letters "D M K" stamped on one side, and this very
simple piece represents a token of Drumock. Another token, a one-
inch square piece of zinc, bears only the letter "K." This piece
was issued in Kildalton. lile can see that identification of some
pieces is difficult.

The reason for this apparently cheap mode of fabrication must be
sought in the fact that the ministers of many congregations were
not affluent, and they often had to pay for their own tokens.

15

which remained their property. Emigrating ministers took their
tokens with them and established their usage in the new country
of their choice. The church elders watched the manufacture of
the tokens when produced by the local blacksmith, to account for
the total number of tokens made.

Towards the end of the last century we notice a marked improve¬
ment as by then the tokens were professionally made and were paid
for by the issuing church from its institutional funds.

Communion was often sold. It was recorded that in St. Saviour’s
Church at Southwark, in 1596, no less than 2000 tokens were sold
at 2i pence per piece. In Scotland things were not quite that
easy. There were three essentials for persons wanting to partake
in the communion service:

a. Fitness to take communion.

b. Quarrels to be settled.

c. Attendance of "service of preparation."

A. FITNESS

The person wanting to partake in the communion had to undergo an
examination before his minister and his elders, which examination
took place about one week before the service.

The Lord’s Prayer, Belief and Ten Commandments had to be
repeated. Failure to pass the examination or any part thereof
resulted in a fine. At Dumbarton, in 1 620, the amount of A
shillings was fined for not attending examination, with 12
shillings fine for each of the Prayer, Belief or Commandments not
known at the examination.

In Glasgow, if fines were not paid on the spot, the culprit was
imprisoned in the steeple of Black friar’s Church (along with
others fined for more serious offenses) until paid.

The church beadle, who acted as jailer, had to ensure that
^Steeplers" got nothing but bread and water or "small drink."

According to Knox’s First Book of Discipline, communion was to
take place four times each year, but, with all the cumbersome
preparations for the examinations, sometimes as long as eight
years went by without any communion service.

B. QUARRELS TO BE SETTLED

(Needs no further explanation.)

C, ATTENDANCE OF ^SERVICE OF PREPARATIOlf

Tokens were issued only at the "service of preparation." No one
could participate in communion without a token.

16'

Cc3inm union services usually started early in the day. The one

which took palce at Stirling, in 1597, could very well be typical
of the ones at other places:

0230: First bell.

0300: Bell for elders and deacons.

0330: Another bell.

0400: Bell and commencement of service.

0400-0500: Sermon, Prayer and Praise.

0500-0800: Administration of Sacrament.

0800: Bell for second service which lasted from 0900-1200.
1500: Thanksgiving.

The first service seems to have been for servants and lower
classes and the second for "respectable^ people.

The church in those days probably had an earthen floor and no
permanent furniture apart from the pulpit and the stool of
repentance. People brought their own stools or hired them from
the church beadle, but many just stood or sat on the floor.

There were separate places for men and women. The center of the
church was taken up by long tables for communion, surrounded by
fences with only 2 openings, guarded by elders who demanded
tokens of those going in. The general order was maintained by
the beadle.

At Perth, the beadle had a red staff to "waken sleepers and
remove greeting bairns." There seem to have been a fair number
of squabbles between people wanting particular spots to park
their stools, and these had to be sorted out with the help of the
stick. It also came in handy for driving out dogs.

At Stirling, in 1597, "people were rash and sudden in coming to
the table and there was spilling of the wine." That same day,
after the ministration, there was "thrusting and shouting in the
passage of the people out of the kirk door."

In 1607, also at Stirling, orders were given to keep the choir
windows closed, particularly at the time of the Administration of
the Sacrament, so that no fowls might have entrance to the choir.

In most places the tokens lasted for years, even centuries. When
a new issue had to be made, the old ones were often melted down
to provide the metal. In some places however, notably Kilchrenan
Argyll, the tokens were considered so sacred that they were
buried in the church to prevent their profanation.

With few exceptions, churches have reverted again to cards and,
of course, the old punitive measures have disappeared, which for
us is a happy thing. Plost of us spend our Saturdays in relaxa¬
tion and we don’t change this habit at the eve of a communion
service in our respective churches. Otherwise, even with our
technology, no steeple could be built big enough to hold us all!

17

GUIDELINES FOR THE SUBTHISSION OF PAPERS

PCNS is looking for articles appropriate for publication in The
Journal, and urges authors to submit material to the Society for
publication. Ill e are interested in specifically numismatic
ijritings, preferably those which offer new information or
understanding to some phase of numismatics.

The following guidelines, adapted from the PCNS Papers Contest
rules are offered as a general guideline, liie may consider for
publication some articles which do not meet these guidelines, but
they will be informative in any case.

1. Length: Text is not to exceed 1500 words. This is

approximately six (6) double-spaced typewritten pages.
Illustrations, charts, footnotes, bibliography, etc. are not
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2. Papers should be typed, double-spaced, one side, on 8-1/2x11
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3. Papers should be submitted with a "Title Page^ which contains
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number of the author.

4. Illustrations, charts, or any graphics should be accompanied
by any text which is necessary to their interpretation and
usefulness. Each should be referred to in the main body of the
paper.

5. Citing references: Quotes must be properly credited.
Information taken directly from other published works must be so
indicated in proper footnotes. A bibliography of related works
or works used by the author may be included in proper format at
the end of the paper.

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610 Arlington Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94707

Address for THE JOURNAL Editor:

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P. 0. Box 3621

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18

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